I am so confused over what to do with my PC (I am a noob)

[Euphroc]

Ok, so I have been researching on upgrades to do on my old PC for a bit over a month now. So, currently I have dual 6990s NOT running crossfire, I just use them for dual monitors for now because I don't play games that actually use crossfire. I also have an AMD Phenom II X4 965 CPU, which is pretty old and is the reason why I am so clueless on what to do. My goal here is to make a PC capable of running E-Sports titles such as League of Legends, Counter-Strike Global Offensive, Overwatch, run at reasonable high settings while maintaining a smooth 60 frames per second. I've read that my CPU will most likely bottleneck newer graphics cards out today, such as the RX 480. I then thought to myself, why not just buy an RX 470 to play my games at what I want without a more severe bottleneck, plus saving a little more money, however, this meant I would get rid of my dual 6990s, which is a major downgrade (from what I have heard). My dual 6990s could play the games I play at medium-low settings, however, cannot play more modern games I would like to try out at a frame rate that is "playable". So, I need a simple answer to my issue, what should I do? I heard getting an SSD could just be better than getting a graphics card replacement. Also, a motherboard and CPU upgrade would be good, however, I'm too scared I may break something (as I never actually built a PC before). Any suggestions would be amazing, thank you.

SPECS:

Mobo: Asus Crosshair IV Formula
GPU: Dual Sapphire 6990s
CPU: Phenom II x4 965
My memory: http://puu.sh/tKrIM/3f82c146e2.png
PSU: Antec 1000 Watt (If you really want, I could try to find the actual model)

 

[goerk27]

I would save some cash and then replace it all. If some money left also replace the PSU as it is way overpowered for a single-GPU-build and therefore inefficient. The CPU would hold you down with any new GPU and holding on to 2 6990 does not make sense either as they are just slow-power-wasters compared to new GPUs.

 

[dontlistentome]

If the card, or cards, you have now can't get the job done and the new card can, that's not a downgrade no matter what the specs say. Your CPU puts you at budget gaming pc level, so an RX 460 would probably be the best choice for esports games. It can do esports games at high settings 1080p pretty close to 60fps if not 60fps. A 470 gives you extra performance for more demanding games like Rise of the Tomb Raider. If you play games like that it may be worth it.

Don't think of it as a 'motherboard and CPU upgrade'. It's a new computer. That's because you'll need a new motherboard, ram(DDR4), CPU, and the videocard you're buying.

 

[BurgerandChips66]

A new build is going to give you the best performance as it will give you the opportunity to install a more powerful CPU which will boost your minimum frame-rate (with a new graphics card) though at the moment the 6990 is the biggest cause of your low fps. With Ryzen coming it is an intereting time to be upgrading a CPU!

Having said that, if you don't want to splash the cash just yet and prefer to save up for longer - maybe just upgrade the graphics card.

Looking at the sorts of games you play and the frame-rates you want, an RX 460 or the slightly more powerful GTX 1050Ti will fit the bill. Your existing CPU will be the bottleneck ofc - you might still need to tweak some settings that affect the demand on the CPU.

I also have an old Q9650 based PC (which is similar to the Phenom II X4 965 when both are at stock speeds) so it should give you 60fps or more with LOL and Rocket League when maxed out. With a bit of tweaking, ditto for CS:GO. I think with a mixture of medium and high settings you'll stay above 60fps in Overwatch with that CPU (and an RX 460/GTX 1050Ti).

If you need a bit more CPU performance also consider overclocking it. Many can go up to 4GHz. As long as you have a good cooler of course.

When you do finally upgrade the MB and CPU in the future, make that the priority spend for your budget. Maybe stick with an RX 460/GTX 1050Ti for a while and save up for a better card later.